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Large numbers of women are worried they will not have enough money when they retire, with fewer men concerned about a funds shortfall.

Most women are unsure of how much they will need for a comfortable retirement, according to research from pensions provider Aviva.
It showed a huge gender gap in Ireland when it comes to preparations for retirement.

But the survey, carried out among 1,000 adults by Ipsos Mori for Aviva, found that just 8pc of women say they are taking steps to ensure they have an adequate level of income during retirement.
Around a third of women say they are not setting aside money for retirement on a regular basis. Just 18pc of men are failing to prepare for retirement.

A quarter of women have given no consideration to how much they would need to live comfortably in retirement. The comparable figure for men is 14pc.
Four out 10 women say they don’t understand pensions, compared to 27pc of men.

Head of life and pensions at Aviva Ann O’Keeffe said the gender pay gap was getting a lot of attention.
“But we also need to focus on the knock-on effect of this pay gap on pensions, given its implications for the welfare of our ageing female population.”

She said the gender pension gap was hardly surprising, given that women earn less than men.
“It is worrying that women are so unprepared and lacking information on how best to prepare for their retirement,” she said.

Ms O’Keeffe encouraged all workers to start saving as early as possible and to not opt out of any workplace pension scheme.